What 7 PureWow Editors Ate for Dinner While Practicing Social Distancing

“This isn’t the most photogenic dish in the world, but it’s actually really delicious leftover butter chicken and rice takeout from an Indian place in my neighborhood, Dosa Royale. Normally, my husband and I are not big on takeout (it saves sooo much money to cook at home), but these are not normal times. We were both feeling too mentally exhausted to cook, and after it really set in that our neighborhood restaurants would be struggling, we ordered in as a way to support them.” —Katherine Gillen, food editor

“Since my son and I are stuck at home, I’m trying to work my way through cooking with what’s in the pantry. I was all excited when I announced, ‘I’m cooking from Alison Roman tonight, the anchovy bucatini,’ but he just looked up from his phone and said, ‘Um, Mom, I just ordered delivery.’ So I just made a sandwich with what was left from lunch: a lightly toasted hamburger bun topped with vegan curry chickpea salad and some cherry tomatoes with salt and pepper. It was all for the best since I was running out of time anyway before my online sound bath meditation, which is just as calming as pasta anyway.” —Dana Dickey, senior editor

“I couldn’t pay homage to Italy without also having a moment for France, hence the French napkin with the Italian (vegan) lasagna leftovers. I made a big sheet pan of this lasagna the first day I was home from work and froze half of it to eat later. To my surprise, the vegan cheese and lentil lasagna noodles froze and reheated really nicely. It’s the type of comfort food I need right now, and I will definitely be making another batch of this ASAP. To be honest, the homebody in me has really enjoyed cooking at home these past few days, and I feel super grateful that I have food in my fridge to do so.” —Brianna Lapolla, senior editor

“I’ve been quarantining with my mom, a nutritionist, so we’re keeping things real healthy over here. This is kale, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes and a jar of Trader Joe’s bruschetta over quinoa. Oh, and a can of the ‘expensive’ butter beans—$3 a pop, baby!” —Dena Silver, fashion director

“Presenting my social-distancing dinner: sweet potatoes, refried beans, corn on the cob, avocado and cornbread (made from a mix I had in the back of my cupboard). Oh, and a giant glob of mayonnaise that I’d like to pretend I didn’t finish, but, well, stressful times, am I right? I’m trying to use pantry staples while getting my five-a-day, plus making enough leftovers that I can feed my 8-month-old tomorrow. And honestly? I kind of feel like I (OK, fine my husband) nailed it. This was delicious and sort of healthy, and it has enough smush-ability to be a total hit with my son. I’m sure there will be a day soon when I’ll tire of beans, but that day is not today.” —Alexia Dellner, senior editor

“Last night, I had a vegan saag paneer adapted from a recipe on Serious Eats. We swapped in tofu for cheese and used up lots of spinach and other leftover greens (like the tops of beets) that were starting to wilt. I should also note that my only contribution to this dish was a lot of stirring.” —Jenny Jin, beauty director

“My husband works in emergency management at a big hospital, so I haven’t been able to see him much since the breakout of coronavirus. We recently had dinner together for the first time in about three weeks, so we ordered Italian takeout (which seems like a luxury these days), and luckily for me, they have huge portions. Last night I ate my leftover spaghetti primavera, which is a nice break from the foods in my freezer. It’s the little things, you know?” —Rachel Gulmi, associate managing editor